


Despite Everything

by gladixlusamicitia



Series: Despite Everything [1]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Enemies to Friends, Friends to Lovers, Multi, Negan Being an Asshole, Sibling Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-08-28 15:20:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8451529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gladixlusamicitia/pseuds/gladixlusamicitia
Summary: "Despite everything, it's still you."You fight to survive, you keep going despite everything that stands in your way. Yet when an offer of a home comes your way... You have no choice but to take a chance on this man named Negan and fight to prove yourself in your new home.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I thought I'd attempt at making a major series for Negan instead of some drabbles... I'm working on this as part of NaNoWriMo so updates should be rather frequent?
> 
> Come chat with me about Negan on my tumblr! oceansgrxywaves.tumblr.com

Death. It’s the most common thing on people’s mind with the state of the world. Kill or be killed. Originally, people had options – now it was most likely that your death would come at the hands of a Walker, having your flesh and insides being torn apart like they’re nothing or being shot by another survivor of the outbreak over a simple tin can of baked beans.

The fight to survive, the fight to keep on living, constantly moving in an attempt to avoid the hoards that stalked the walking dead… Ones that were once called the living, when the world was a different and better place than what the mess it was now.

“Hey, I found some painkillers!”

And yet, despite everything… You still pushed forward, desperately hoping to find a way to survive in the dying world that you once knew.

Your head shot up from the expired food lining the shelves of the run down and abandoned convenience store, hearing Aeris’s voice from the other side of the building. Survival knife in hand, you made your way over to a small lining of shelves where Aeris stood, checking the expiration dates on several packages of painkillers.

“What you found?”

“Couple of boxes of aspirin… And one box of paracetamol.”

Aeris turned her head up to you, holding the boxes in her hand. You gave a quick nod, watching as she stored the boxes within the backpack she carried. Her blonde hair tied up in a messy bun with a pink ribbon that she found in a small shop during an old supply run.

“No inhalers?” You questioned, Aeris taking hold of her survival knife once again from the sheath.

“I haven’t checked behind the counter yet, didn’t want to tackle it alone in case of Walkers.” She lowered her head slightly in embarrassment. “Besides… You’re more likely to know what inhalers that Damien needs… You were a doctor…”

“Aeris, I was just an intern.”

“Still, you’re the closest thing to a doctor these days… We… We need to find somewhere to stay… We just can’t keep doing this… Scavenging what we can find.”  
You shook your head; the Alexandria safe zone wouldn’t take you in. Claimed they were full, you’d heard that another settlement named Woodbury had burned to the ground… Not to mention a prison, Walkers had apparently stormed that and killed the majority of the people within. Nowhere was safe, not really…

“You know we can’t settle anywhere, we won’t be accepted. They’re too concerned for themselves, look; I promised I’d protect you… Aeris, I mean it. I’ll protect you and Damien.”

Aeris forced a soft smile, nodding her head in reassurance. She was fiercely loyal towards you, being one of the first people to join your group after the outbreak of Walkers. She was your right hand, despite how shy she was around new people, yet she’d survived, helped you out of situations that you wouldn’t have been able to escape on your own… Helped you deal with the loss of members of your small group.

Once upon a time, there had been around twelve of you surviving together, arguments were inescapable and some of them left, heading towards a new settlement that could apparently help them – Terminus. You didn’t hear from them again after they left, it was their choice, despite being a leader you couldn’t force them to stay.

And others… You had to put them down out of mercy.

You tried to save one of your companions, Aeris’s boyfriend at the time, who was bitten on the leg by a Walker… One amputation later… He succumbed to his bite; the infection had spread too quickly… Aeris made the decision but couldn’t go through with it, so you helped her wield the knife.

She was coping as best she could. You were proud of her.

“We’ve got a problem!”

You both snapped your head round, Damien bursting in through the door that led to the roof of the store. Damien had been your designated scout from the day you met him, he helped you escape from a hoard, slipping through back alleys in a run down town where you both were doing a supply run. He’d become a crucial part of your now three-man team, despite his asthma – which was the reason you constantly looked for inhalers to be on the safe side for him.

“D-Damien?” Aeris questioned, tilting her head.

“Boss, look… We’ve got a fuckin’ mob coming towards here, at least four trucks.” He directed the statement at you, face desperately hoping that you had a plan. “They look like they mean business, guns and everything.”

Boss had been his nickname for you ever since he met you, never used your real name, always kept saying that you were a natural leader and the best boss he’d ever had in his life. Aeris occasionally used the name but she preferred not too – made it sound like your relationship was too formal when it was anything but in the world’s current state. You weren’t running a dictatorship, no way in hell.

“Don’t sound like they’re survivors… Sounds more like a damn militia…” You breathed out, shaking your head. The safety of Aeris and Damien rode on your shoulders, glancing around you pointed towards the door at the back of the store. “We use the back door, find a way of getting back to the car, sneak around them if we have too.”

“Sneak around them? We don’t know how many of them there are!” Aeris piped up, chewing on her fingernails out of fear. Panic in her eyes as she tapped her feet constantly. “The car is right outside the front door, they might just let us go!”

“And when have we met other survivors that haven’t wanted to kill us for a can of fucking beans, Aeris?”

“I-it’s just a suggestion, Damien, I don’t hear you coming up with any better ideas!”

“Seriously? You’re going to start arguing now? This really isn’t the time! The more time we waste arguing, the more time we waste getting out of here, damnit!”  
You ran a hand down your face, this could not have been the worse possible time for them to start arguing, the lack of food and stress from the lack of sleep in a potentially unstable building was beginning to take its toll. You couldn’t let them argue, you had to step in.

“We go out the front, if we hurry, we can get in the car and go before they reach us.” You insisted, motioning towards the door. Aeris and Damien glanced to one another, nodding their heads at you. “Come on!”

The three of you headed towards the door, pushing open the dirty glass. Walkers were lurking around, a snarl leaving your lips as you slid a knife in the head of one as they got to close, Aeris and Damien rushing towards the car, yanking open the doors, the noise only resulting in attracting more Walkers towards your location.

“Get the damn car running, Aeris!” You shouted, focusing on taking out Walkers while they got the car running. “That piece of shit better not die on us right now!”

Aeris shrieked as she climbed over to the drivers seat, turning the key in the ignition in an attempt to get it running. The car only spluttering loudly as it tried to start, Damien looking out the back and began to shout at Aeris, shaking his head while more Walkers kept making their way over to you.

“I thought you said you could jump start a car in less then a minute!”

“I’m working on it!”

You glanced back from the banged up car to see the four trucks getting closer, a shriek leaving your lips as you shoved a Walker away from you; quickly slamming the survival knife into the skull of the groaning creature. It was hard to believe that these were originally human, reduced to nothing but creatures with the desire to eat.

“BOSS! LOOK OUT!”

Damien’s voice came too late, a Walker snuck up behind you, knocking you down to the ground. Your knife was knocked from your hand, the Walker screeching above you as you desperately tried to push it off you, it snapped it’s teeth constantly, desperately trying to bite down on you.

“Shit!” you screamed out, this wasn’t how it was meant to end. Not on a dirty street, not getting ripped limb from limb, you had to get them to safety, you had to make sure Aeris and Damien survived. You kept pushing the Walker away, glancing up at your group. “GO! GET OUT OF HERE!”

“Boss, we’re not leaving you!”

“FUCKING GO NOW! THAT’S AN ORDER!”

Aeris whined from inside the car, slamming her foot down on the gas pedal and sped the car off, attracting the other Walkers that were making their way over to you. A snarl left your lips, trying to still push the Walker off.

They were safe. That was all that matters.

Naima… You’d get to be with your sister once more, your family… Your mother and father… But Aeris and Damien were finally safe, they’d be able to build a new life without you…

A wet matter splattered across your face, eyes opening to find the Walker slumping over you, head bashed in. You breathed in sharply, eyes wide from shock. “W-what?”

“Well, that was a fucking close call! And not even a thank you, isn’t that fucking rude?”

Who?

You pushed the Walker body off of you, reaching up to touch your face. Walker blood was splattered on your face, your eyes looking up to see a man in a leather jacket and red scarf, wielding a baseball bat entwined in barbed wine, dripping with Walker blood.

“I…” You didn’t know what to say, this man… He’d saved your life; your hands began to shake as you pushed yourself to your feet, body quivering in fear. “T-thank you…”

You watched as his lips slowly grew into a smug little smirk, your hands quivering.

“Well aren’t you a pretty fucking thing, sorry to ruin your little self sacrifice… But I think we need to have a little talk.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have a little chat with your 'hero'.

“Talk?” You scoffed, staring at the man who saved your life. “What could we possibly have to talk about? I need to go, I need to catch up with my group.”

“You really think you’re going anywhere?”

“Are you _threatening_ me?”

You stared up at him, tilting your head. This shouldn’t have been a surprise; another survivor was threatening you like the majority of the others had. Good people didn’t exist anymore, not really. Grey morality took over, leading everyone to do questionable shit in order to truly survive in the world.  
You refused to kill if you could; you tried desperately to stick to the old world rules. It was just a lot harder than you cared to admit.

The man in front of you scoffed, tapping the baseball bat on the shoulder of his leather jacket. Ah, yes, that was a point, he had a weapon, and your survival knife lay away from you. There wasn’t exactly a chance of him turning away… Unless he was distracted from you for a brief second… Maybe then you could make your escape… Slit his throat, anything in order to get away from him.

“Threaten is such a… Harsh word. I want you to know me.” You wanted to wipe that smug look on his face. You scowled up at him, watching as he laughed at your reaction. “Hi, I’m Negan.”

You stayed silent for a moment, just scowling at Negan until you finally spoke your name to him.

“Well then…” He smirked once more as he spoke your name, it rolling off his tongue like he was purposely dragging it out, you wanted to wipe that grin off his face. Punch it off, anything at this point. “On your knees, pretty bird.”

_Pretty bird?_

“I’m a patient man, but even I have my limits, on your fucking knees.”

You swallowed sharply and put your hands up in the air as you lowered to the ground, the dirt and blood scuffing onto the denim of your jeans. Negan turned his back briefly, barking orders at some of the men that climbed from the trucks, you glanced to your knife, lowering your hands and reached across slowly in an attempt to reach it.

“Leave that knife where it fucking is!” Negan snapped at you when he turned back around, your hand darting away from the weapon that lay not inches away from you. You snarled up at him, he was making you look pathetic, held power over you that you didn’t want to admit that he had.

He could kill you just like he did the Walker. Bash your head in with that baseball bat covered in barbed wire, your brains could easily be added onto the mess that was already dripping from the wire.

“Why do people like you never understand me?” He questioned, though it was a rhetorical question. “Why do you always fucking think you can get the upper hand when I have thirty fucking men in the area surrounding you? Do you really think you can fucking kill me and get away?”

He stepped around you in a circle, swinging the bat away from you but still close enough to make you flinch suddenly, squeezing your eyes shut. A laugh left his lips, followed by a demand.

“How many are in your group?”

You didn’t open your eyes or answer.

“Look at me when I speak to you!” He crouched down in front of you with his voice raising, taking hold of your face with his gloved hand, and forced you to look up at him despite how much you didn’t want to. “How many?”

“Three, including myself… D-Damien is our scout… A-Aeris is my right hand; s-she’s the one who cooks. There were m-more of us but…”

“They’re all dead or missing?”

You nodded your head when he finally let go, using the same hand to reach the back of his head and rub through his hair. Shame ran through you at the sight of your hands quivering on the floor, this was pathetic, you’d gone through worse than this – seen the people you’d promised to protect be torn apart from the very creatures you made the promise to protect them from… And yet it was this Negan that was making you quiver in your boots.

“Seems… Like you have gotten yourself into a real predicament!”

Your head shot up at Negan’s words, the barbed wires on the baseball bat pointed dangerously close to your face, inches away from scraping and doing damage to your skin.

“Have I introduced you yet to Lucille?” You shook your head, eyes wide, fighting back the tears that were beginning to form. “Well this is Lucille… And she is awesome! She’s a little vampire bat…” Negan snorted. “Luckily for you, she’s feeling rather friendly today… We have a deal for you.”

He was speaking as if the bat was a real person, your hands pressed down into the hard concrete flooring, scraping away at the palm of your hands but not enough to draw blood. Aeris and Damien had to be safe – if it meant making a deal of some sort…

“A deal? What… What do you want?”

“Well sweetheart, here’s the fucking deal. You give me all your shit and I let you leave, catch up with your group… Maybe you’ll live…” Negan slowly allowed a smirk to grow on his lips, the corner of his lips curling upwards ever so slightly. “Or you can work for me. Lucille seems to think you could be useful to me… And my girl is never wrong.”

“Work for you? I… What do you mean? You have a compound?”

A snort, he motioned for you to rise to your feet, giving you permission to finally stand at the same level as him.

“Damn fucking right I do. You earn your place, you earn your points and you can live, it’s safe. I’m sure you don’t need the fucking sales pitch though, pretty bird.”

Safety. You could have safety. The real chance of a home… If you worked for Negan, he hadn’t even mentioned what you would be doing – supply runs, Walker clean up… Surveillance, it could literally be anything. Working for a home, the real chance… At the cost of possibly losing Aeris and Damien… Would they blame you? Would they hate you?

“… Do I have a choice?”

“Go on.”

“Can I leave the compound if I don’t like it? Am I forced to stay?”

“If you want to leave, you come to me and tell me. No one is forced to stay in Sanctuary… I won’t hunt you down unless you decide to fucking steal from me, that’s when it becomes personal.”

_Aeris… Damien… Forgive me…_

“Okay... Negan, you’ve… You’ve got a deal.” You lowered your head in shame; hopefully Aeris and Damien could survive. You’d do anything in order to bring them to safety… If this Sanctuary was truly the right place to settle, then you could find them; bring Aeris and Damien into a place where they’d be able to live a normal life.

“Well, today’s been a productive damn day!” He laughed, pushing your shoulder hard enough to make you stumble ever so slightly on your feet. “Welcome to your new life, you sorry shit!”

This was a horrific mistake in theory. 

“You’re in the truck with me, don’t want you passing the fuck out on the way back, pretty bird.”

You breathed in sharply, following Negan to the truck as he barked orders out at the men in his command, storing supplies that you and your little group hadn’t quite managed to find. A sinking feeling flowed through you when you caught the sight of one of the men stuffing a box of inhalers in a bag before throwing it in the back of a truck.

Damien could have used them if you’d found them earlier and given them to Aeris, something to keep him a little bit safer in the damn world with his condition.

Negan pulled open a truck door for you, watching as you climbed in and slammed the door shut behind you. Going into the inner pocket of your jacket, you pulled a creased up photograph from the inside, the photo was of you and your little sister. A pretty girl with dark skin and bright hazel eyes, dark brown hair done up in a bun while wearing her graduation gown. It’d been her graduation photo that she took with you; it’d been the one thing you’d managed to keep safe since the outbreak had happened, the one precious thing you had left of your sister.

You were broken out of the thoughts of your sister when Negan climbed up into the truck next to you, sitting in the drivers seat. He leered over the photograph, you narrowed your eyes across at him, waiting for the comment.

“She’s hot.” He spoke with a sleazy grin on his face. “Who’s she?”

“She’s my little sister… She’s… She’s gone now.” The creased photograph was slid back into the inner pocket of your jacket, Negan staring at you for a brief moment as you fiddled with your fingers. Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the wheel of the truck, honking the horn.

“MOVE OUT! BACK TO SANCTUARY!”

With the command barked out of the window, the truck started up, Walkers slowly beginning to move from the woods in the surrounding area. You slumped against the window of the truck, closing your eyes, willing for the journey to your new home to be over sooner rather than later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said I was gonna update this at the weekends but I'm not feeling good and I need to post something to cheer me up. So, have this a couple of days early.
> 
> Come chat with me on my tumblr! - oceansgrxywaves.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally get to Sanctuary... And reunite with someone you never thought you'd see again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was at Birmingham MCM yesterday as Negan so there wasn't an update... But here's the new chapter!!
> 
> Come chat with me on Tumblr! - oceansgrxywaves.tumblr.com

A sudden jolt made you yelp, eyes shooting open in distress, waking you from the surprisingly pleasant slumber you had fallen into. You braced against the dashboard with your hands, trying not to let your face smash into the windscreen of the truck.

“OPEN THE FUCKING GATE!” Negan’s voice boomed from the side of you. Turning your head, you saw him leaning out of the side window, a scowl on his face. He really wasn’t a patient man by the looks of things.

You slid back into the passenger seat of the truck, closing your eyes again as a soft sigh left your lips, only for a low chuckle from the man next to brought you out of your attempt to sleep once more.

“Looks like I’ve got a real sleeping fucking beauty in my truck with me.” He’d slid back into his seat while you had your eyes closed it seemed.

“You’d be tired too if you didn’t have a compound to keep you safe.” You didn’t want to sass Negan, he’d just threatened you with that baseball bat of his - what was it called again? Lucille? You didn’t want to stare Lucille again any time soon.

Negan just hooted at your response. “No fucking shit, pretty bird. I quite like having walls to keep me fucking safe at night along with a pile of fucking gorgeous women.”

 _A pile of women?_ What the hell did that even mean? No, that was something you were sure as shit didn’t want to know about. It sounded like Negan had his own weird little harem of women at his beck and call - something you definitely didn’t want to be part of.

“So what, you brought me here to be part of your harem? Is that it?”

“Why you want to be fucking part of it, pretty bird?”

“Get fucked.”

“You offering?”

You threw your hands up in the air, shaking your head. “You’re absolutely disgusting. I would _never_ sleep with you.” Negan just grinned at you, nodding his head as you just snarled lowly, eyes narrowed.

“Don’t worry a pretty little hair on that fucking head of yours, doll. Everything is completely voluntary, my wives are asked, and they think about it and give an answer. They aren’t pushed into anything they don’t want to fucking do.”

Your eyebrows knotted together in confusion, listening as Negan snarled about the gate not being opened yet.

“I suppose… That’s honorable... “ You paused, picking at your suddenly interesting fingernails. “How many wives do you have? Sounds like you have multiple.” You swallowed sharply when you felt his gaze upon you.

“Why I do believe we’re fucking bonding, pretty bird!” Negan was grinning, a wide shit eating grin had spread across his lips as you asked the question. “I have five wives currently, all of ‘em are super fucking hot. They don’t have to lift a fucking finger when they’re with me.”

“We’re not bonding…” The snort of laughter from him said otherwise. You pursed your lips, forcing a smile onto them. “Only five? Why not one for every day of the week?”

“That is an excellent fucking idea!” He slapped his leather-clad hand against the steering wheel of the truck. “I’ve already seen a potential for wife number six, cute little fucking thing that works in the commissary.”

“Is she not super hot?”

“Of fucking course, but she’s even fucking cuter. She helped refine the points system, keeps track of what’s running low. Fucking talented thing she is.”

A sigh left your lips, Negan’s mystery potential sixth wife only reminded you of your sister, damn good at business and had her own little bakery back in the old world. That was a long time ago now, and she was gone.

“Fucking finally. Making me fucking wait, stupid fucks.” Negan grumbled, conversation forgotten as the gate to the compound finally opened, the convoy of trucks trawling through the gate, coming to a complete stop in the centre of the courtyard. “Out you fucking get, pretty bird. Can’t stay hidden away in here forever.”

A part of you wished you could.

Opening the door, you climbed out the truck and finally got to take in the sight of your new home. The sound of the gates being shut behind you screeched loudly though your attention was completely stolen by the sight of the building.

It was an old factory, nothing more, nothing less but compared to where you’d been previously sleeping rough with Aeris and Damien… This almost seemed like heaven.

“Welcome to the Sanctuary, doll.”

 _The Sanctuary_. Appropriately named in your mind. You couldn’t stop the smile that spread across your lips, finally… It felt like you were truly safe for once. Like it was a home.

Your arms wrapped around your torso, the next step was to go out and hopefully find Aeris and Damien, bring them back to a place where you all could actually survive together. Working with a system that was like the old world, maybe even finding a family in the people that lived within Sanctuary’s walls.

“Ah! Negan, sir! It’s good to see that you’re back!” A female voice came from behind you; you turned around and blinked a couple of times in confusion. It couldn’t be… “Was the run a success?”

“In-fucking-deed, doll. Got hold of nearly everything you put on the list.” Negan’s voice was authortive but had a gentle edge to it. “I’ll have the Saviors bring the goods over to the commissary store room as soon as fucking possible.”

“Fantastic! I can start to catalogue everything and check if any point prices need changing-” The voice trailed off, the young woman staring at you.

Dark skin, bright pretty eyes. Hair much shorter and a scar running across her nose, with another down her cheek. Negan raised an eyebrow in curiosity, your breath becoming short, and tears beginning to well in both your eyes and the woman’s.

“N-Naima!”

“Sissy! Y-you’re… You’re alive!”

Naima pushed past Negan, the two of you rushing toward each other and crashed into a tight hug. Your hand slid in her hair, threading through the surprisingly soft locks. Naima clung to the back of your shirt, burying her face in the crook of your neck.

“Sissy… Sissy!”

“You’re real right? This isn’t a dream where I’m going to wake up, am I?” You whispered, tears running down your cheeks. Naima was really alive; she’d been in Sanctuary this whole time. Negan had been keeping her safe… You looked across at the man; Lucille was resting on his shoulder. “Thank you… Thank you so much…”

“Well holy fucking shit, you’re actually sisters! Who’d have fucking thought?”

You didn’t want to let go of Naima; happiness had flooded your entire system. The one reason you fought so hard for… In hopes of one day seeing your sister again or eventually joining her side if you died… It finally happened. Naima was right there in front of you, living and breathing.

Your fingertips traced the two scars on her face delicately; a pout grew on her lips before swatting your hand away from her face. “Please don’t touch them, sissy… They’re disgusting.”

“You’re still beautiful, Naima.” You spoke softly, brushing her hair out of her face. Negan cleared his throat, tapping Lucille on his shoulder once more. Naima just smiled to him, stepping away from you and wiped her eyes, you had to do the same, lest tears started to run down your cheeks again.

“S-sorry, Negan! I’ll get right back to work!” Naima insisted, smiling up at the much taller man but glanced away when he grinned at her, a very quiet giggle left her lips.

“Naima, huh? Thought your name was fucking Nina. Still… We’ll discuss that later.” He sauntered over to Naima, tilting her chin upward with the tips of his gloved fingers, making her look at him. His fingers lightly slid upwards and off her chin. Your eyes narrowed at how Naima’s knees quivered ever so slightly at the motion. “I’ll have the supplies delivered to the storeroom, find Simon and show your sister around. You can catalogue everything we fucking found later.”

“Of course! Thank you so much, Negan!”

Naima turned to face you once more, a grin growing on her lips. Her hand reaching out to take yours in a tight hold. A light squeeze of reassurance and she motioned her head towards the building.

“Come on! I’ll show you around, what we have is amazing here, sissy!”

She began to tug your arm, pulling you towards the building. You took one last glance back at Negan, watching as he barked orders at his men to make sure the goods that were collected weren’t damaged, he had something going on with your sister - you knew it from how she reacted…

“Sissy! Come on!” Naima’s voice snapped you from your thoughts, making you force a smile. Only to glance back at the trucks as she pulled you to the building and notice that Negan was watching you both.

It seemed like he had one more advantage over you.

Naima.


	4. The Grand Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally get the tour of Sanctuary... And learn more about Negan's leadership.

“I can’t believe you’re alive, sissy!” Naima grinned up at you, pulling you through the halls of the Sanctuary. The halls were surprisingly empty, footsteps echoing around the two of you. “I’m happy you ended up here of all places!”

“Trust me, Naima… This is the first place I might be able to consider a home.” A heavy sigh left your lips, everything felt so sterile. Then again, making a home out of an old factory would result in that. “No one else would take my group in…”

“You had a group?”

“I was the leader up until Negan found me. I sent Aeris and Damien away for their safety…” You caught your bottom lip with your front teeth, chewing absent-mindedly. “God… I hope they’re safe.”

“I’m sure they’re safe, sissy.” Naima’s gentle smile had always been a strong source of comfort for you before the world went to shit. If you’d had a bad day at the hospital where you interned, she would always contact you over skype to make sure you were going to be all right. “You survived this long… I’m sure they would have learnt from you.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Your voice was quiet, Naima just squeezed your hand before tugging your arm once again. She was eager to show you around your new home, allow you to see the whole of Sanctuary and the different areas that made up the compound.

“This is the common room, most of the Saviours hang out here when they aren’t working.” Naima explained as you looked around the room, several couches and tables, bottles lying around that had yet to be cleaned up. “Simon!” Naima called out, waving towards one of the men in the common room, he pushed himself up from the couch that he was sat on, making his way over.

“This the new arrival?” He grinned at you, Naima nodding her head quickly. “Must have found you useful.”

“It was more of a ‘give me your shit and die alone or come with us and live’ situation.” You pursed your lips, rolling your eyes. Yes, it was nice to have a roof over your head but it hadn’t exactly been in the way you wanted it to come. “So, no I don’t trust Negan. Trust isn’t bought, it’s earnt.”

“I’d just be a bit careful who you say that around, sweetheart.” Simon warned, what was it with the nicknames in this place? Did no one use first names anymore? “Most people here wouldn’t mind trading you in for a few extra points and to be in Negan’s good graces.”

There went any hopes you had of this place being a reasonable place to live.

“Still, we need to show sissy around!” Naima piped up, trying to divert the negative vibe from the conversation away. “I was told to find you and get you to help me show her around! There’s the commissary where I work… The veggie garden, the Walker fence and where your room is!”

“And my work placement? I’m guessing I have one since everyone works for points?”

Naima shrugged at that one, seemed that Negan must have been in charge of where you’d get placed, wonderful. You could see yourself with possibly the worst job in Sanctuary for the next god knows how long.

“Naima. Negan wants to see you.” The male voice interrupted, making you turn your head at the owner of the voice.

“Dwight…” Naima’s eyes widened, voice getting quiet. Your back straightened when Dwight made his way over - his face scarred horrifically on the left side. He’d been one of the men on the supply run; at least you thought he was. “Of course…”

“You don’t go to the seventh floor without being asked.” Simon leaned against the wall, watching as Dwight walked away with Naima. “That’s Negan’s floor.” He paused briefly, then spoke once more. “I thought her name was Nina.”

“Seems like she told everyone that was her name…” You sighed, shaking your head. Naima hadn’t lost her sense for accidentally causing trouble it seemed. “Think that’s why Negan asked to see her?”

“No doubt. It’s not a secret he’s took more than a shine to her. Cute little thing.” Simon shook his head. “Damn waste.”

“Remember that’s my sister you’re talking about.” You hissed.

Simon held up his hands with a grin, watching you rest your hands on your hips. “Just saying what others are thinking, sweetheart.” He patted you on the back when he pushed off the wall, heading to the door. “Let’s give you the grand tour!”

The grand tour went quicker than you expected but allowed you to meet some key people. Joe, not to be confused with ‘fat Joey’ as Simon explained, ran the kitchen but had a problem with spending all his points on whatever alcohol he could get his hands on after the death of his boyfriend Alexander, turns out he’d been stationed at an outpost that got hit. He was a lanky and skinny young man with a mess of brown hair on his head, though he also seemed to have a very strong knowledge of the people in the Sanctuary.

“If you ever need to know anything about anyone, don’t hesitate to come and see me.”

Joe did also mention that you were more than welcome to drink with him whenever you wanted, which probably wasn’t a good idea considering his relationship with alcohol…

Carson ran the medical facility in Sanctuary with his assistant Caitlin. The young woman that worked with Carson almost seemed silent, but she scowled awfully at you when you mentioned that you were a medical intern in the old world.

Finally, you got to meet Eden, who was Naima’s right hand in the commissary. Short blond hair, organised and to the point, he had one of the highest jobs of making sure that Negan’s wives were taken care of - allowing them first choice of the items that were collected from the supply run. It seemed like he was one of the few people to know Naima’s real name and instantly recognised you from a photo that Naima had kept after the world went to shit.

“Alright, I’ll admit… This place runs pretty well.” You admitted with your arms folded over your chest. “The point system runs just like money did… Though the fence is pretty fucked up.”

Fence maintenance was the one job you didn’t want to wind up on. You felt sorry for the poor sods that ended up running that part of Sanctuary.

“Keeps the place safe and keeps people in line.” Simon grinned at you, though it soon frowned when people who were milling around suddenly kneeled. He grabbed you by the arm and yanked you down, making you look up to see Negan leaning against railings.

“Simon, what’s going on?”

“Negan’s addressing us.”

Why did you have to kneel for him to address you all? Clearly it was some kind of power fetish that he had, showing it off in front of his people. That’s when you noticed Naima by his side.

“Naima!” You called out, rising up until Simon yanked you down once again, shaking his head. “But she’s with him, I need to-”

“I’m sure all of you know who our lovely girl is here.” Negan called out, making your eyes narrow in disgust. What the hell was he doing? “Most of you know her as Nina! But actually, her fucking name is Naima. I don’t fucking appreciate being lied too!”

Naima almost shrinked as she hunched up beside him, cheeks going red. This was just public humiliation.

“But! Since our lovely Naima has worked so fucking hard for us all, I thought that I would let you all know!” Negan grinned at Naima, turning away from the people. Simon shook his head when you went to get up, everyone else was still kneeling, only standing when Negan spoke once more. “As you were!”

What the fuck was with this place?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter~
> 
> Come say hi on my tumblr or if you have any requests or headcanons you want to share! ~ oceansgrxywaves


	5. Chapter 5 - No Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Negan talks with you and doesn't give you much of a choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy the chapter!
> 
> Have a request or just want to chat? Come join me on my tumblr! - oceansgrxywaves.tumblr.com

You had to disagree with what you said to Simon before about Sanctuary being all right.

Sanctuary absolutely fucking sucked.

After the incident where Negan showed off his very obvious power fetish in front of the entire Sanctuary community, he called you straight to the seventh floor, the one place you were told not to go unless you were specifically invited by Negan himself to go up there. Naima was stood outside the door to Negan’s room, a very visible frown on her lips, almost looking like she was going to burst into tears the moment that she looked at you.

“Sissy…”

“Did he hurt you?” Were the first words to come out of your mouth, you didn’t know Negan like Naima knew him, you weren’t sure if he was capable of laying a hand on her, physically hurting her for lying to him. Brushing her hair from her face, you checked to see if there were any traces of physical contact on her face. “Did he hit you? Naima, I need you to tell me if he hurt you in any way.”

“No, sissy… He didn’t hurt me, he isn’t like that.” She forced a smile, taking your hands in hers and squeezed gently. You wished that you had her confidence; you didn’t trust Negan, not at all.

“I wish I had your confidence.” You shook your head. “Naima, that was public humiliation, he humiliated you in front of the entire community.”  
“That’s one of his kinder punishments, sissy.”

Kinder punishments? What the fuck kind of monster was Negan if that was a kind punishment, sure the world had gone to shit but that didn’t mean that people had to become monsters… It made you wonder if Negan was as much of a monster before the world became so messed up and dead people started eating the living.

You shook your head as the door to Negan’s room opened, a very smarmy looking Negan just leant against the doorframe, sweeping his arm open to invite you into his private quarters. Naima gave you a tight hug, brushing some of her hair from her eyes and scurried off, Negan licking his lips as he watched her disappear.

“Now she is what you call loyal.” He let out a low appreciative whistle that made your skin scrawl. His sixth wife, it was going to be Naima, you knew it was going to be her. “Do come in, I want a word with you.”

The private room wasn’t what you were expecting, lavishly decorated with couches and armchairs, not to mention a small bar packed with expensive alcohol that you could have only dreamed of sampling back in the old world. What you weren’t expecting were the women sat around reading and talking, all of them looked over in silence as Negan brought you through to another room and closed the door.

Glancing around, the four-poster bed with black silk sheets and subtle decorations with two couches to the side. Negan dropped down onto one of the couches, making a display of offering you the other one. Carefully, you sat down, almost as if the couch was going to swallow you or kill you.

“Would’ve thought a man like you would have red sheets.”

“Next time I’ll have red silk sheets just for you.”

Did he flirt with literally everyone? Everything he said was almost laced with suggestive undertones that made you want to throw yourself out the window to escape this disaster of a man, still you had to respect that he wanted to speak with you about something.

“So, what did you call me up here for?”

“We need to discuss a few things… Your sister being one of them.”

“What… Do you mean? I thought you’d punished my sister for lying to you. You humiliated her in front of the entirety of Sanctuary, is there much else you can do?”

“Surprisingly, pretty bird, I can do a whole lot worse.”

You raised an eyebrow, just like Naima mentioned, she’d said that humiliation had been one of the more kinder punishments that Negan had dished out, you were afraid to ask what other punishments were up his sleeve… Though you had to know what you were dealing with.  
“Naima said it was a kind punishment, what did she mean by that?”

“The worst punishment is death, of course. Lucille gets thirsty…” He snorted with laughter at the comment about Lucille being thirsty, you just stared, tilting your head ever so slightly. “Another… Is the iron. It’s heated up and pressed against the face of the one who wronged the Sanctuary.” That’s when his eyes went dark, watching for your reaction. “What if Naima met the iron? I think ”

“You made a damn example of her, leave her alone.” You snapped, pushing yourself up from the couch, hands trembling with anger. “You don’t have any fucking right doing that to her!”

“And that is exactly the fucking problem right there!” Negan snapped his fingers, pointing for you to sit back down on the couch. You snarled lowly, sitting back down on the couch as he shook his head. “You need to learn who is in fucking charge here! I am in charge of this place, you don’t like the rules that I lay down and enforce? Then you fucking leave… Because unlike you, it seems that your sister understands the rules.”

Hands clenched, you turned your head away in anger. You wanted nothing more than to lash out, punch that pretty face of his. Instead you breathed in sharply and forced a smile.

“I understand the rules clearly. I wouldn’t want to leave without Naima.”

“Well I’m fucking glad we’ve gotten that shit sorted. Don’t worry a hair on that pretty little head of yours, Naima isn’t going anywhere near the iron, I’m fucking with you.” He leaned back, arms resting on the back of the couch. Smug grin on his lips as he scanned his eyes over you, watching and waiting to see how you would react to his words then snapped his fingers. “I just fucking got it!”

“Got what?”

“Where to put you to work!”

“Where?”

“You’re going on the fences, pretty bird.” He leaned forward, smirk on his lips. “Because if you don’t go on them… I’m putting your pretty little sister on it, and she sure as shit won’t survive as well as you would on that duty.”

Fence duty? That was… That was having to take care of the Walkers that were attached to it, making sure that they were kept chained up. You bit your lip, you didn’t want Naima anywhere near that… A low hiss left your lips.

“I’ve not got a choice in this, have I?”

“Not at all.”


End file.
